Examining a Maternal DNA Circle--Mason Combs(1746-1802)

Mason Combs, while not proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, is most likely my 5th Gr Grandfather and the father of Nancy Combs Fleming.

Examining the Mason Combs AncestryDNA Circle
Members:   124
Groups:    39

Mom matches 50 members which represent 18 groups.

I match 26 members also within the 18 groups.

My sister matches 18 members also within the 18 groups.




Members of the 18 Groups represent the following connections:

• Descends from John Fleming and Nancy Combs thru their daughter Charlotta Fleming(This is the source of my Combs line)
• Descends from John Fleming and Nancy Combs thru their daughter Martha Fleming. Walling.
• Descends from John Fleming and Nancy Combs  thru their son Samuel Logan Fleming
• Descends from John Fleming and Nancy Combs thru their son William Logue Fleming.
• Descends from Martin Johnson and Sarah Combs thru their son John Clark Johnson.
• Descends from Martin Johnson and Sarah Combs thru their son Martin Johnson
• Descends from Martin Johnson and Sarah Combs thru their daughter Nancy Johnson.
• Descends from Martin Johnson and Sarah Combs thru their son Pleasant Miller Johnson.
• Descends from Simon Combs & Martha Murrell thru their daughter Ellender Combs Hammer.
• Descends from Jeremiah Combs and Charity Rhodes thru their daughter Nancy Combs Clark.
• Descends from Jeremiah Combs and Charity Rhodes thru their daughter Sarah Combs Lane
• Descends from Daniel Paine and Silvia Combs thru their son Herbert Murrell Paine.

There are several different subgroups within 3 of these groups.  Also, a group shows as descending from  Amelia Millie Combs Hitchcock thru her daughter Nancy Hitchcock Fleming.  This group is totally misnamed and attributed because of a long-standing belief that the Millie who married George Hitchcock was a Combs.  She was not. She was a Riddle.  The marriage record was found by Agnes Jones over 15 years ago in the  Roane County Tennessee marriage records.  Given that Millie was fairly young when she married George it is highly unlikely that this could have been a second marriage for her.  Nancy Hitchcock(sister to James P.) mentioned above married Alfred Patton Fleming a brother of Charlotta(and child of Nancy Combs Fleming)  and that is the source of the Combs DNA thru the Combs Fleming Connection and not thru a Hitchcock/Combs(which is actually a Combs/Riddle connection.)

I should mention that I descend from George Hitchcock and Amelia Riddle as well as John Fleming and Nancy Combs so those who descend thru Alfred Patton Fleming and Nancy Hitchcock would be Double Cousins with me as Alfred is the brother of Charlotta and Nancy is the sister of James P. Hitchcock my 3rd Gr Grandparents.

Of course just being in the circle doesn't prove kinship to everyone in the circle.  We could just have common matches or lines on our trees could be attributed to the wrong ancestors and we could share DNA thru another ancestor.   The will of Mason Combs who dies in 1802 only mentions 2 sons Simeon and Jeremiah who apparently are not yet of age.  More research is necessary in order to draw solid conclusions.